Brenna is a graduate of Bard College and worked in the music industry for a decade before deciding she would rather be creative herself than work for other artists. She first learned her crafts by moving to Oregon for a specialized program in historic preservation and restoration, then worked as a hands-on technician at a Brooklyn stained glass studio and a gilding and decorative arts studio based in Harlem before establishing her own business back in the Hudson Valley. Brenna is a professional gilder and sign painter as well as a glassworker and is a member of the Society of Gilders and the American Glass Guild. Willow Deep Studio is located just outside of Rosendale, NY.
“I have always been fascinated by anything with a past and its own story, so I love bringing centuries-old traditional crafting techniques into contemporary settings. My inspiration comes from patterns and color palates I see around me: historic buildings, record album covers, an aged iron railing, a vintage design book, a satellite photograph in space, and nature just outside of my studio window.”
Even though stained glass and gold leaf have both existed for centuries, there is so much newness to what has yet to be done in their conventional fields. I’m inspired by the challenge of taking these crafts to further, more divergent levels. I love the enduring aspect of both stained glass and gold leaf: with the proper application and care, each can be a lasting statement or keepsake for over a hundred years and become a part of history itself.”
~Brenna, Willow Deep Studio artist/owner